Immaculate Conception

The depiction of a crescent moon, halo of 12 stars, blue robe, assumption into heaven and a serpent underfoot brings to mind the picture of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. According to the teaching of the Catholic Church, the Immaculate Conception was the conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the womb of her mother, Saint Anne, free from original sin by virtue of the foreseen merits of her son Jesus Christ.

  

   1.      Free from original and personal sin

The dogma of the Immaculate Conception says that Mary was preserved from any strain. The Roman Catholic dogma clearly states “that the most Blessed Virgin Mary in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin.” Since she was always free from original sin, the doctrine teaches us that from her conception she received the sanctifying grace that would normally come with baptism after birth. The Church holds that Mary was also sinless personally. The decree of the Council of Trent says, “If anyone shall say that a man once justified can sin no more, nor lose grace, and that therefore he who falls and sins was never truly justified; or, on the contrary, that throughout his whole life he can avoid all sins even venial sins, except by a special privilege of God, as the Church holds in regard to the Blessed Virgin: let him be anathema.”

   2.      Virgin Conception

Very often the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception i. e. Mary being conceived without original sin is confused with the virginal conception of her son Jesus. The term Immaculate Conception is many times misunderstood in the mass media. The Holy See in 1677, condemned the belief that Mary was conceived virginally, which as a belief was frequently coming up since the 4^th Century. The Church teaches that Mary was conceived by normal biological means and not virginally. The Immaculate Conception deals with the conception of Mary herself and not her son. Today Catholics believe that Mary wasn’t the product of a virginal conception but that she was the daughter of human parents; whom we know by the traditional names of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne.

   3.      Redemption

There is another misunderstanding which says that because Mary was immaculately conceived she did not need a Savior. Pope Pius IX when defining the dogma in Ineffabilis Deus openly affirmed that Mary was redeemed in a manner more sublime. He said  that Mary was totally prevented from contracting Original sin in view of the foreseen merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race rather than being cleansed after sin. The Church teaches that even if man would have never sinned and been sinless in the Garden of Eden, he would still need the grace of God to remain in the state of sinlessness.

   4.      Dogma

Bishops in various countries began to press for a definition as dogma of the teaching of Mary’s Immaculate Conception during the reign of Pope Gregory XVI. In 1839, Mariano Spada, a professor of theology published ‘A critical examination of the doctrine of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor, regarding original sin with respect to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary’. Here Aquinas was interpreted as dealing with the sanctification of the fetus within Mary’s womb rather than the Immaculate Conception later formulated in the papal bull. His interpretation relieved Pope Pius IX of the problem of having to foster a doctrine not in agreement with Aquinas’ teaching.

At the beginning of his pontificate and again after 1851, Pope Pius IX appointed commission to investigate the whole subject. With support of the overwhelming majority of Roman Catholic bishops, whom he consulted between 1851- 1853, he promulgated the papal bull Ineffabilis Deus (Latin- “Ineffable God”) which defined ex cathedra the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.

We declare, pronounce and define that the doctrine which holds that the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the first instant of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace of the Omnipotent God, in virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of mankind, was preserved immaculate from all stain of original sin, has been revealed by God, and therefore should firmly and constantly be believed by all the faithful.

— Pope Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus, December 8, 1854

The dogma was defined in accordance with the conditions of papal infallibility, which would be defined in 1870 by the First Vatican Council.

The papal definition of the dogma declares with absolute certainty and authority that Mary possessed sanctifying grace from the first instant of her existence and was free from the lack of grace caused by the original sin at the beginning of human history. Mary's salvation was won by her son Jesus Christ through his passion, death, and resurrection and was not due to her own merits.

    5.      Veneration and Patronage

The Immaculate Conception is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church, some Oriental Orthodox Churches and in the Anglican Communion. Korea, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Philippines, Portugal, Spain, United States, Uruguay are the countries which are under the patronage of the Immaculate Conception. The Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8; in many Catholic countries, it is a holy day of obligation or patronal feast, and in some a national public holiday. 

St. Joseph

It is really shocking for a husband to come to terms with the fact that his wife is pregnant out of the marriage bonds. When we hear of such news in today’s world it seems to be the story of almost every day. However it wasn’t very common in earlier times; more specifically during the time of Jesus. I imagine how shocking it must have been for St. Joseph to even come to terms with the fact that Mary was pregnant before they came together.

St. Joseph being a just man didn’t want to disgrace Mary publicly and hence decided to send her away in private or quietly. While this just man was contemplating over these thoughts, an angel of the Lord spoke to him confirming that the child to be born of Mary was of the Holy Spirit. The narration ends with Joseph, the just man accepting his wife.

What strikes me most in this passage is the acceptance of whatever the angel said to St. Joseph and that too without a question. If I were to be in his place, thousands of questions would have immediately popped up in my head like why my wife? Couldn’t the Holy Spirit work a little later? Is this Gods way of confirming whether I am a just man or not?

According to my thinking, St. Joseph was not only a just man but also a wise man. I don’t know why I say this but I strongly feel he was wise man. Maybe it’s because of the way he took care of Mary and brought up the child Jesus.

Concluding this small piece of writing, I would say that it is difficult to be a just person in today’s world where everything we see around is just the opposite. However when we come across situations in life, we must always have the image of God in our minds and our self- respect before us.

Name

           

‘And he called his name Jesus’ Mt 1: 25

            The name giving ceremony in any culture is of significant value. I have heard that in a name lies the mission of the child. Some may argue ‘What’s in a name?’ In a name is a person’s self-image, mission to be accomplished and most of all identity. Hence it can be said that a name is very dear to a person and on being fooled may cause deep damage to a person’s self-image and esteem. Another point to be noticed is that whenever we meet a new person we ask his/ her name and then try to fix the photo and other features of the person in our mind.

            I still remember that in earlier times children were named after saints. This made the child realize that s/ he had a mission in life to complete. I believe that some families are still carrying on that system of naming their children after saints. Care has to be taken while naming a child because a person will be called by that name throughout his/ her life. One must feel good and accepted when ones name is taken or called out. When parents give a name to the child, they must also take into due consideration the effect of it on the child in the future (A good name will call for respect while a funny name will only call for jokes and teasing).

            When a person is not accepted or made fun of, due to his/ her name, that person goes into some kind of identity crisis. Hence we see people changing their names (not always) and making an official notice about it in a newspaper. All human beings like their names to be taken in the context of good deeds done, achievements achieved and the list goes on and on. To put in a simple way, all of us like to preserve our good name.

            Coming to the naming of the Son of God, I must really praise the way in which it took place. The angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him that the child has to be named ‘Jesus’. From the life of Jesus it is very clear that He was very clear or rather He had a clear picture about his mission. He knew very well why He had come down to earth and He achieved it before returning to the Father. Jesus was very firm in His convictions and held on to His beliefs in the times of criticism and backbiting by the Pharisees and others.

            In conclusion I would say that a name is not only about honor, prestige and power but also about ones mission on earth which has to be discovered with the help of God. Let us then respect each other by respecting each other’s name and know and live by the mission entrusted to each one of us.

Evangelization

Religious by the very nature of their calling are a sign of Gods existence. This way of life is a gift given to some with the aim of evangelizing. Religious are a sign and symbol of availability to all. Religious are a challenge to the world by the witness value of poverty, purity and sincerity that they carry. This type of witnessing to the faith touches the hearts of those who do not believe in Christ or in other words are non- Christians.

            While there are religious on one hand, there are also lay people on the other hand who are amidst other people in the world. They too carry a very specific form of evangelization. Their range of evangelization is much larger than that of the religious. They evangelize in the vast world of politics, society and economics, culture, sciences and arts, international life and mass media. They are also involved in the field of human love, family, education of children and adolescents, professional works and so on.

            Coming to the context of the family, it can be said that the family is the place where the gospel is transmitted and from which the gospel radiates itself. When one family has been evangelized by members within or from outside the family, other families too get evangelized due to this family. Also young people who are trained in the faith and prayer have a duty towards the other youth. Their contribution means a lot to the Church.

            The laity are called to work in collaboration with their pastors in the great task of evangelization. This collaboration must have an effect on those who are close to the Church and also on those who are not. For such an effect to take place, proper training of the laity and the clergy personnel has to take place. All who are in the field of evangelization need an adequate amount of training so as to facilitate greater enrichment in the faith and also greater evangelization.

            What is of great importance is the inner attitude that an evangelizer needs to have while evangelizing. A right and docile attitude to the workings of the Holy Spirit will be of great benefit both to the evangelizer and to the one being evangelized. The Holy Spirit plays a dynamic and a great role in the process of evangelization to whom the evangelizer must be ever grateful.

Hope

                We hope for different things in life. Among the many things, we hope for a good life, work, health, children, political ambition and the list goes on and on. More often than not our hopes and dreams are crushed along lifes way. This doesn’t mean that we should stop hoping. If we stop hoping, it can be said that we are dead. I equate hope with life and hence feel that hope is a necessary aspect of our life.

                To define hope is not easy but according to my perspective ‘hope’ means a kind of expectation (Mostly positive but can be negative at times).

Eg. Positive hope – I hope it rains tomorrow

       Negative – I hope he dies soon.

When we hope we don’t reject reality but expect something better in the future. The key word here is ‘expectation’.

Family tree

The genealogy or the family tree is a treasure which a person holds dear to his/ her heart. However when the genealogy of Jesus is read, I find it difficult to connect with the family tree of Jesus. The only thing that happens in my mind is travelling back in time to my own family tree. Though it isn’t easy to make a family tree of 14 generations like that of Jesus, it is possible to make a family tree of at least two to three generations.

                Some people are interested in remembering their ancestors forever by making a family tree while others are not. Those whose parents have taken efforts to put down names and pictures of their parents and relatives into a family tree are lucky. A family tree may be described as the identity of a family so as to facilitate information and fond memories of or for a particular family.

                 I haven’t literally put down my family tree on paper but have a rough view of it in my mind. The family tree according to me gives a sense of pride to the person. There is a sense of joy and happiness when our family is remembered by people. A family tree includes names, a little bit of information about the person and most importantly picture/ pictures (If there is an album).

                Our family is our greatest treasure; our heart is where our treasure is and hence we arrive at the conclusion that our family is close to our heart. Like the heart is connected to the family, our memories are connected to our family tree. When I look at the obituaries of my grandparents, tears well up in my eyes thinking of all the love and care they bestowed on me.

                Now I have come to the realization that I must be proud when the genealogy of Jesus is read because it too am a son and disciple of Jesus. Hence my family tree is also part of His family tree. 

Go light your world

             ‘Carry your candle, for all to see it……. Take your candle go light your world.’ All of us need to carry our candles so that the world is illuminated with its light. In these times, we really need to hold up our candles so that the world walks in the path of light. We know and have seen what the darkness of hatred can do (2 World Wars). Wars on a smaller scale take place when we reject our neighbor, despise our enemies and rip the poor off their dignity.

            God knows all what we do and He also knows that we are weak and selfish human beings. However we need to be aware and take into account the feelings of the other person. It is better to light a candle of good hope in the lives of others rather than sow seeds of darkness. We are called to light up the lives of others and enhance their living.

            One of the saints who lit up the lives of others (youngsters) was St. John Bosco. At the age of 9 he was called in a dream to shepherd the young straying flock. He who lost his father at the age of 2 was called to be a father to the orphaned youngsters of his time.

            Oscar Romero is another example. He lit up the lives of the people by fighting for their rights; even to the extent of giving up his own life. He was a man of great courage. He saw that the poor peoples’ lives were being made miserable by the government by being unjust to them. He took the necessary action and did the most loving thing due to which he was shot dead.

            There are innumerable examples of people who have lit up the lives of others. It’s our responsibility to light up the lives of others and make them shine.

‘Go light your world’

Creative saints

             Creativity happens not by chance but by the deliberate act of being creative. Creativity is at its best when it is spontaneous and much better when done in a serene state of mind. The vital factor is to become aware and conscious of the creative powers that are within us. Realization of this fact leads us to becoming aware of our own strengths and applying the power of creativity to it.

            Each of us has a choice. The choice to live a creative life or just let life pass by and take us wherever it wants. Those who choose the first choice are usually the ones who live life to their optimum level thereby influencing their environment and people around them. This choice making has to happen now and not later. ‘Tomorrow or later’ are dangerous words. The best spirituality is the spirituality of the ‘NOW’.

            Sometimes when I am by myself in a particular place and at a particular time, I question myself as to how I can do a thing creatively. At the spur of that moment I’m totally lost, but later on a bright insight comes to me. This insight says that my creativity is something very unique to me which can be done only by me. What I can do can be done by no one because I am unique. When I do things I put my stamp to it and that makes it creative.

            At this point I am reminded of the chicken- eagle story in which an eagle is born in a chicken family. Due to lack of self-awareness the eagle behaves like a chicken. This may also happen to us, we may tend to forget that we God’s children who are made in His image and that we are creative. I would life to re-emphasize on the point that creativity needs self-awareness preceded by a moment of silence and self-reflection.

After becoming self-aware the most important factor is maintaining one’s own identity. The temptation of imitating someone or being someone I am not always lurks in the dark. In these moments prayer and self-reflection comes to the rescue. Being who I am is of great importance to creativity as it adds my stamp or my flavor to the thing that I do. Hence I conclude that creativity is a force which brings out the best in us. It also has the potential to turn a sinner into a saint. All unproductive sinners have a chance to be creative saints.

Opposites

It is said that it is difficult for two opposite things to co-exist in nature. However this is happening in our world today. We see that good and bad, virtue and vice, love and hatred and so many other opposites exist together in this world of ours. We may attest that both good and bad, virtue and vice and many more exist in us too.

                St. Paul speaks of this, in one of his letters saying that he knows what the right thing is, but ends up doing the wrong or the evil deed. We too feel one with St. Paul, because on the theory level we know what is right and what is wrong but finally end up doing the wrong thing. Fr. Glenford Lowe says,” In your daily life don’t ask what the right thing to do is but ask what the loving thing to do is.”

                The best example of this is Mother Teresa who lived a life of extraordinary service. If she were to ask the first part of the question and live her life doing the right thing, thousands and lakhs of children and old people would have still been on the streets. However, she asked herself as to what was the most loving to do and hence there came the congregation of the Mother Teresa’s sisters who even today, selflessly reach out to the poor and the needy.

                When marriages take place, people say that the bride and the bridegroom are opposite to each other…….. According to me opposites attract. This is similar to the science formulas where opposites attract and similar ones repel. If all people were to be the same, then all would be robots who would have the same qualities and the same functions. Life would be the same yesterday, today and forever. However it is not so and hence we have so much variety in life. Variety is the spice of life. 

Jesus returns

If Jesus planned to come back to earth, what would He find…..? Before He went He made sure that He delegated all the responsibilities to the apostles so that the evangelization work could continue. However if He comes back today what situation would He find Himself in?

                According to me He would have mixed feelings because good and evil are flourishing at the same rate and at the same pace in current times. He would be happy to look at the way courageous missionaries are going to the ends of the earth, how people and religious aren’t afraid to give up their lives for the faith, and so on. He would also be sad to look at the way in which the world is down sliding towards consumerism, how some people are being oppressed while others voices are being suppressed.

                One thing is for sure that the level of Jesus’ happiness would be greater than His sadness. I agree with anyone on the fact that Christians are become much stronger and bolder. Stronger and bolder not only in thoughts but also in words and deeds.

Sun

                It is difficult to imagine the solar system without the Sun. Going deeper into imagination; a striking question hits at me i.e. what would the earth be without the Sun. indescribable situations would take place on the earth and its normal daily routine would be thrown out of balance. When I was in school, we used to have an essay topic in the exams namely ‘If the Sun didn’t rise then………………….’

                Many times I wrote that if the Sun didn’t rise, then there would be no need to get up on time, go to school, complete assignments, and be punctual and so on. As I reflected on this topic a ray of light passed through my mind and the SUN was replaced by SON. ‘If the Son didn’t rist up from the dead then…….’ If this statement was to be true, then we would have no reason to exist.

                All Christians uphold the slogan, ‘We are an Easter people and Alleleluia is our song!’Christianity believes in the truth that Jesus has risen from the dead and that He is alive. Easter can be defined as the foundation stone on which Christianity is built.

                If the Lord had not risen from the dead, then we would have never known anything about Him. He would have been called a ‘False Prophet’. However since He rose from the dead, we have hope and place our trust in Him.

16th April

As we continue reading from the Acts of the Apostles we see that with the conversion of Saul (who now goes by his Roman name of ‘Paul’ rather than the Jewish ‘Saul’) the Christians are now free to preach and to proclaim the Risen Christ. St Peter continues his travels and in the name of Christ he cures people and restores the dead to life. In our gospel text for today we come to the end of our reading of St John’s sixth chapter and we see that many who have been listening to Christ are unable to believe or to accept what he has been saying about being the bread of life. When he asks the apostles what they think, Peter replies that there is nobody else to go to for he is the one who has the message of eternal life. This is the faith that we are called to profess.

26th April

Today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostle tells of the ongoing mission.  In Acts, the apostles are on the mission to spread the Good News. As usual there are hurdles on the way which makes it difficult for them. But this hurdle doesn’t terminate their mission. The apostles still move on with the Good News and open the doors of faith to the pagans.

In the gospel tells of the accomplished his mission given to Him by His Father. And He has successfully handed the baton to His apostles, who are to spread the peace of Christianity to the whole world. This still carries on till now. Our world is torn apart with anger and hatred; it has lost its peace. Let us be agents of unity and peace and build this world to a better place where love and peace reigns.

19th April

When were the first believers in Christ first called Christians? In Today’s 1^st reading Acts 11.26 gives us the answer, it was at Antioch that the disciples were first called ‘Christians’. I believe we believers in Christ are privileged to be called Christians. In the gospel Jews considered themselves as gods chosen people. They were blinded in their pride that they couldn’t recognize the Messiah right in front of their eyes.

Even as we call over selves as Christians, being Christians is not our right, but it’s a gift of God. And we should thank God for it. Christianity does not give a free ticket t heaven, and the rest of the people to hell, this is what some of our Christians think.

It’s not our religion but our deeds and actions will mark our destiny. Thank God for this gift and follow His will.

4th April

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the annunciation. After the sin of Adam and Eve, sin became the barrier between God and men. In the Old Testament the Israelites used to make sacrifices by shedding the blood of animals in order to atone their sins. A question arises in my mind can animal’s blood take away human sin? Well I don’t think that’s possible. Hence God sent his only son Jesus Christ to take away the sins of the world. And it was on this day that angel Gabriel  appeared to Mother Mary and asked her consent where she said ‘ Yes’ and Jesus entered into the womb of Mary and finally this world. Thus making the prophesy come true come true which prophet Isaiah proclaimed ‘Behold a virgin shall conceive and she will call Him Immanuel (Is . 7:14) Mary submitted to Gods will and God gave her strength  and grace to accomplish this task of being the Mother of God.

Do we trust God that He will help us in doing His will? Do we respond to His will or we run away from it?

JOSEPH SON OF DAVID, DO NOT BE AFRAID 19th March

God always takes the first step in all situations and circumstances. What we have to do is to respond to this initiative that God takes. Mary is a good example of perfect surrender to God’s will as also her husband Joseph who does what the angel of the Lord tells him in a dream.

 

Reflective question: Am I doing God’s will or my own will?